From Wanderer to Hero
by WeisseTod
Summary: Lona-Ku Footpad: Once just a wandering Argonian thief with nowhere to go. But one incident in Skyrim allowed him to become so much more.
1. Part 1: To the Block

**_Hey there, folks, WeisseTod here, with a Skyrim story in the works. I won't bore you with a long description, so let's get right to it!_**

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><p>The carriage's movement is what ended up waking Lona-Ku. With the sound of the wheels and horses, as well as moving from the bumpy road, he couldn't keep unconscious for long. He still remained in a state of semi-consciousness. Within seconds, though, he tried to move, and found it difficult.<p>

_Are... are my hands tied? What's going on?_

"Hey, you."

Lona-Ku jolted his head upwards, to see a Nord sitting across from him, in chain-mail armor. It was quite the contrast to the rags he was wearing. Where had his clothes gone?

"You're finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right?" The prisoner (for that seemed correct to him now,) thought about his situation for a second, then answered. "Yes." He was trying to get into Skyrim, as he had heard that he might be able to get a job in Riften.

The armored Nord gave a short chuckle. "Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us. And that thief over there," he added as he jerked his head to his left, towards another Nord, in rags similar to his own. Lona-Ku looked over to the thief, and back to the other Nord. "Why were you ambushed?"

He began to respond, but the other man decided to pick this as the time to interject. "Damned Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along; Empire was nice and lazy." Lona-Ku was unfamiliar with that term. Were Stormcloaks some new faction? They seemed to pop up by the dozens, these days. "If they hadn't been looking for you, I could've stolen that horse and been halfway to Hammerfell." He then looked from the other Nord to Lona-Ku. "You there, you and me. We shouldn't be here! It's these Stormcloaks the Empire wants."

Lona-Ku nodded. "I didn't do anything. Why am I here?"

He ended up being ignored, apparently the thief was more self-centered than his statement made him seem. In any case, the armored man replied. "We're all brothers in binds now, thief." He also gave a look to Lona-Ku, seeming to say the same thing with the look on his face. And he was right, in a way. Even though he was only crossing the border, he had still been captured like the rest of these men.

"Shut up back there!" The Imperial driver shouted, still looking down the road. He was immediately ignored, as the horse thief looked to the third Nord in the carriage, who appeared to be a nobleman of some sort. He was gagged, unlike the others. "What's wrong with him, huh?" Lona-Ku looked to the bearded man for an answer, and an answer he got.

"Watch your tongue! You're speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King!" Lona-Ku just managed to look more confused. So the Stormcloaks were a family of sorts? Were they all criminals? He regretted not speaking with any Khajitt caravans in his travels; they tended to pass through every province in Tamriel. Hopefully, he'd get some explanation soon. Still, it never hurts to ask. "Who is that?"

The thief looked between Lona-Ku and Ulfric. "Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm?" Then, in a more fearful voice, he realized, "You're the leader of the rebellion! But if they've captured you, then..." Lona-Ku remained silent. At least he had some more information. The Stormcloaks were a rebellion of some sort. Come to think of it, he had heard of a civil war in Skyrim while he was in the remains of Morrowind. This was probably part of that very war. He hung his head a little, realizing what was probably going to happen to him. He caught a sympathetic look from the other Stormcloak. "Despair not, friend. Rejoice," he said in a quiet voice.

The thief didn't seem to hear him. "...Oh, gods, where are they taking us?"

"I don't know where we're going, but Savngarde awaits." Now, Savngarde, Lona-Ku knew a little about. The statement ended up sealing things for him. He was going to his own execution. He wasn't entirely sure how to react, so he just stuck with silence for now.

"No, this can't be happening, this isn't happening!" the thief started to break down. Lona-Ku was seconds away from doing the same, when the ungagged Stormcloak spoke up. "Hey. What village are you from, horse thief?"

The thief looked towards the speaker, tears in his eyes. "Why do you care?" he asked. His tone of voice was almost pathetic.

"A Nord's last thoughts should be of home." On that, the thief seemed to calm down, if only a little. "...Rorikstead. I'm... I'm from Rorikstead."

The Stormcloak then turned to Lona-Ku. "And you, Argonian? Where are you from?"

Lona-Ku looked up. "My name is Lona-Ku Footpad. And... I don't really come from anywhere."

"A wanderer, eh?" He gave a smile. "Bad time to come to Skyrim." After a moment, he added. "You have given us your name, I will give mine. I am Ralof."

The thief gave a deep breath. "Lokir," he said, before withdrawing to himself.

Lona-Ku heard some chatter among the Imperials as they came to a city wall. The only words he could hear well were "Tullius" and "headsman." Not very reassuring, he thought.

Lokir started to mutter to himself. "Shor. Mara. Dibella. Kynareth. Akatosh. Divines, please help me." Lona-Ku couldn't help but snort a little. "The nine won't help you here, Lokir. Might as well accept it." And now the Argonian had decided on cynicism and a brutal acceptance of his fate. Oh well, better than other reactions.

Ralof was busy looking at the Imperial on the wall. "Look at him. General Tullius, the military governor! And it looks like the Thalmor are with him." Lona-Ku tried to look back around to see the high elves, but they'd already gone too far along.

"Damned elves. I bet they had something to do with this." Lona-Ku gave a silent agreement. If it weren't for the Aldmeri, he'd have been able to safely travel the roads of Cyrodiil, and perhaps visit the ruins of Kvatch.

Ralof's attitude soon changed, and he gave a wistful sigh. "This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilad is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in." Lona-Ku gave a throaty chuckle at that. "I had meant to try some of Skyrim's finest mead when I found a town. Shame, that."

The Stormcloak chuckled at that, as well, before moving to another reflective voice. "Funny. When I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe." The Argonian didn't share that belief. Imperials had always disliked him. Whether for his race or his nomad nature, he didn't know. Nor did he care, especially not now.

Lona-Ku heard a child talking with his father, and cringed a little, though both he and Ralof relaxed when the boy went inside his family's house. "Children shouldn't have to see something like this," he said, and the Stormcloak nodded.

Then the voice of who seemed to be the leader of these Imperials materialized. "Get these prisoners out of the carts! Move it!" Still more finality dawned upon the wanderer. He was leaving the carriage. Only one place to go now.

"Why are we stopping?" Lokir spoke up for the first time since his little prayer, and Lona-Ku sighed. Ralof voiced his thoughts. "Why do you think? End of the line." He turned to he Argonian. "Let's go, friend. Shouldn't keep the gods waiting for us." He nodded, and stood up to disembark.

Lokir started to get desperate. "No, wait! We're not rebels!"

Ralof rolled his eyes at that. "Face your death with some courage, thief." Lona-Ku just looked at the thief with an incredulous look. They were all going to die here, so what was the point of pleading? Lokir, however, didn't listen, and looked at the Stormcloak, wide-eyed. "You've got to tell them; we weren't with you! This is a mistake!"

"Step towards the block when we call your name! One at a time!" the Imperial captain shouted. Lona-Ku heard his friend muttering about lists as he stepped out of the carriage.

The man beside the captain said the first name. "Ulfric Stormcloak, Jarl of Windhelm." The gagged nobleman stepped forward, as Ralof praised him. Lona-Ku didn't pay attention.

"Ralof of Riverwood." The armored Stormcloak stepped forward, with a proud and straight posture. Or at least, as straight as possible with bound hands.

"Lokir of Rorikstead." The thief was not so proud. He blindly stepped toward the captain. "No, I'm not a rebel! You can't do this!" Immediately afterward, Lokir made a mad dash, despite the captain's warning. She called for archers, who easily put an arrow into the fleeing Nord's back. And there it went, Lona-Ku's last hope of some form of escape.

"Anyone else feel like running?" The Argonian had to admit, he did feel like running. But an arrow in his back was more painful than a simple decapitation, so he didn't.

"Wait!" The man who had been reading off names cried out, looking straight at Lona-Ku. "You there, step forward." Not seeing any other option, the wanderer did so.

"Who are you?" Lona-Ku gave an inaudible gulp. "Lona-Ku Footpad, sir."

"Are you a relative of one of the Riften dock workers, Argonian?" He shook his head, and the man turned to the leader. "Captain. What should we do? He's not on the list." Lona-Ku, for a split second, felt a bit of hope. Was he going to be let go? Was this really just a misunderstanding?

"Forget the list. He goes to the block." And there it went again. The Argonian glared and gave a low growl at the captain. He didn't even get a sneer in return, so he just looked back to the man who had given him a chance.

"By your orders, Captain," he said. Then, to the Argonian, "I'm sorry. We'll deliver your remains to your next of kin in the Black Marsh." Lona-Ku almost laughed at that. What next of kin? He had no family, he'd been wandering for his whole adult life. He'd abandoned the Hist long ago. "Follow the captain, prisoner." The armored woman walked up to the block, and the traveler followed. He stopped in time to see that Imperial from the wall talking to Ulfric, but he didn't listen to that. What he did end up listening to, was the noise. It sounded like some sort of roar.

The noise ended up being ignored. The captain told a nearby priestess to give the prisoners their last rites. She began with "As we commend your souls to Etherius, blessings of the Eight Div-" another Nord in Stormcloak armor stepped forward to the block, interrupting with "For the love of Talos, shut up and let's get this over with!"

The priestess was dumbstruck, but responded with "If that is what you wish."

The captain seemed to be shocked as well, because she hesitated before pushing the man to his knees. This provoked him to continue with "Come on! I haven't got all morning!" As he fell to the block, he gave yet another quip. "My ancestors are smiling at me, Imperials. Can you say the same?" It all ended up fruitless, though, as his head was still chopped off. The Argonian heard some cries from a few observers, but the most noteworthy came from Ralof:

"As fearless in death as he was in life."

And then, something much worse: "Next, the lizard!" Lona-Ku gave another, very audible growl upon being called that. He hated that term. He was a person, not some lizard.

And then that noise again. Everyone paused at it, like before. A guard tried to call the captain's attention to it, but she brushed it off and called for the Argonian to step to the block.

Lona-Ku tried to keep a proud step as he walked to his death, but only partially succeeded. He was slow, but steady. It wasn't long before he was at the block. They hadn't even bothered to move the first man's corpse. As he was pushed to his knees, he got the pleasant sight of the back of a severed head.

He was pushed so that his neck was in the spot for the headsman's axe. _This is it, _he thought, _I'm going to die. And for no good reason._

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><p><em><strong>Of course, anyone who's played Skyrim knows what happens next. I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, please give honest reviews and criticism.<strong>  
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	2. Part 2: Lucky Break

**_Hello again, readers! Now, this is normally the part where I painstakingly reply to each of your reviews, but well, you didn't leave any! That made me sadface (which is totally a verb.) Please, give me some feedback!  
><em>**

_**That said, let's get to what you came here for.**_

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><p>But then he saw it. A great winged shape flying from one of the mountains to the tower. He understood the noise when the shape made it. This thing, whatever it was, was making that roar. For some reason, the Imperials didn't take notice of it until it landed on top of the tower. The headsman even raised his axe to cut off Lona-Ku's head as the thing landed. The first actual reaction, though, that of the general, was rather appropriate.<p>

"What in Oblivion is that?"

The captain proved to be rather clueless about it. "Sentries, what do you see?" The Argonian managed to sigh, even as the headsman turned around and stepped back in clear fear. Although there were many different cries from the nearby townspeople and soldiers, chief among them was one word:

"Dragon!"

Though Lona-Ku was physically dumbstruck (especially when the great winged beast began pushing and shoving people with just his voice, with the small side effect of making fire rain from the sky,) his mind was racing.

_Get up, you idiot! The soldiers are distracted! This is your chance to escape! Get up and move!_

Ralof, who had obviously had similar ideas, ran over to the wanderer. He made it apparent that he had escaped his bonds by grabbing Lona-Ku by the shoulder. "Hey, Lona-Ku! Get up! Come on, the gods won't give us another chance!"

This took Lona-Ku out of his state, and he wrenched himself to his feet. "Where are we going?" he asked. He got a simple answer. "Inside that tower! Ulfric has taken shelter there!" The escapee nodded and ran. Faster than he knew he could. A dragon attacking probably contributed to his newfound speed. It was only about half a minute before he and Ralof entered the tower. Sure enough, the rebel leader and a couple of other Stormcloaks were garrisoned inside.

"That creature... the legends..." Ralof began, "are they really true?"

"Legends don't burn down villages," Ulfric responded. Lona-Ku's friend shook his head, still in some shock. "We need to keep moving. Up the tower, let's go!" The Argonian gave a nod, and did his best to run up the stairs. Tied hands tended to make things more difficult. The pair reached a flat section of the stairs, only for the dragon to burst through the wall, knocking another Stormcloak to the bottom of the tower. The two barely had time to move out of the way of its flame breath. Fortunately, it seemed to have other interests, and flew off. Lona-Ku looked out over Helgen through the newly crumbled wall. It was pretty clear that the town was not going to survive this. A building nearby had been nearly utterly destroyed. The Argonian looked to Ralof, wondering what to do now that the path upwards was blocked by rubble from the ruined wall.

"Lona-Ku, you see that inn? Jump down through the roof, we'll find another way around." Lona-Ku gave an incredulous look. Was he serious?

Apparently so, as the Nord shouted, "Go! We'll follow when we can!" The Argonian repressed a sigh, made a running start, and jumped down. He managed to roll with the impact and minimize the pain. Getting back up was still difficult, but he managed, and ran out of the ruined building.

The Imperial soldier from earlier, who had asked his name, was there, along with an older man and the child Lona-Ku had heard earlier. The dragon landed in front of them, and the small group dived behind the ruins of another building to shield themselves from the flames.

"Still alive, prisoner?" The soldier looked towards Lona-Ku, who nodded with a sigh. "Of course I am."

"Good. Stick with me if you want to keep it that way." The Argonian gave another, much shorter nod. The other man looked towards the two. "Stay here, and take care of the boy. I need to find the General and join the defense. Prisoner, with me!" As the two made their way, Lona-Ku heard the other man say "Gods guide you, Hadvar."

The now-named soldier fled to an alleyway, gesturing for the Argonian to follow. Deciding to point out the obvious, he shouted, "Stay close to the wall!" They took cover as the dragon returned again, breathing more of its fire. It flew forward a little to attack another group of soldiers, and the pair emerged. As they continued down to a keep, the armored man turned his head to Lona-Ku, and said, "It's you and me here, prisoner, so keep up!"

"Easy for you to say, your hands aren't tied up!" Despite this complaint, Lona-Ku managed to keep up as Hadvar ran to the keep, evading the path of the dragon. As they approached the door to the keep, a familiar face showed up. Ralof had gotten himself a small axe, and was standing in the path.

"Ralof, you traitor! Out of the way!" Hadvar readied his sword.

"We're escaping! You can't stop us this time!" The Stormcloak looked toward Lona-Ku., then back to Hadvar, who shook his head. "Fine. I hope that dragon takes you all to Savngarde!"

Ralof ran to one of the doors of the keep. "Come on, Lona-Ku!" Meanwhile, Hadvar ran further along the path. "Prisoner, stick with me!"

"Forget him, I can cut your bonds inside!" It wasn't a very difficult decision for Lona-Ku, who to go with. Ralof, after all, was not with the people who had nearly executed him. He sprinted towards the open door, and Ralof lead the way.

The room they ended up in was circular in shape, and mostly empty, with the exception of a table and a dead Stormcloak. Ralof immediately went over to check if the man was alive, a fruitless endeavor. The Nord bowed his head, mourning the loss. "We'll meet again in Savngarde, brother." He stood up and looked to Lona-Ku. "Come over here, let me see if I can get your bindings off." The Argonian complied, and Ralof took a dagger to his ropes. Before long, he was free. "There you go." He sighed. "It looks like we're the only ones who made it."

"I hope not," Lona-Ku said. "There must be others who survived."

"I doubt it. That thing was a dragon, like in the stories and legends."

"The bringers of the end times, right?"

Ralof nodded. "We should get out of here before it finds us." After a moment, he added, "You might as well take Gunjar's gear. He won't need it anymore." Lona-Ku knelt next to the dead body, and began to unbuckle the chain-mail. He found an axe like Ralof's strapped to Gunjar's waist, and took it as well as the armor.

"Get that armor on, and give that axe a few swings. I'm going to try and find a way out of this room." The Argonian was already in the process of donning the armor. It felt a little heavy to his tastes, but he couldn't really complain. At least he'd be better protected from any soldiers who attacked, if not the dragon. He took the small axe in his hand, and swung it once. He didn't like the weapon, either. He much preferred a dagger, or a bow of some sort. Still, Lona-Ku got used to the axe in his hand. Ralof, meanwhile, went to one of the gates and tried to open it, to no avail. It was only after a vigorous shaking that he gave up. "Damn, it's locked. Let's try the other way."

Opposite of the gate were some iron bars, clearly meant to sink into the floor. Though Lona-Ku thought about offering to pick the lock on the gate, he realized he didn't see any lockpicks nearby. That put a damper on his already forgettable skill in theivery. Rolaf looked for a way to lower the bars, and didn't succeed. "Damn it! There's no way to open this from our side." The Argonian was about to try and make a suggestion, but heard footsteps. "Rolaf, listen to that. Someone's coming this way." The Nord looked as far down the passage as he could. "Imperials. Hide." The two of them took crouching positions on either side of the door. One of the soldiers - a female - made an order to get the gate open, as Lona-Ku readied his axe. Time for some payback.

He heard the sound of the bars sliding downward, and two Imperial soldiers stepped through. Though Ralof acted first, Lona-Ku wasn't far behind. Each of them planted their axe into a soldier's neck. Though the Argonian simply killed the female soldier, nice and cleanly, the Nord, in a showcase of strength, nearly took the male's head off with just one blow. In either case, both of them fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Maybe one of these people has a key," Lona-Ku suggested. He got a favorable reply. "Good idea. I'll search this one." Rolaf began to search the nearly decapitated soldier for a key, and grew increasingly frustrated. The Argonian, however was much luckier with his search. Not only did he find a key, but he found a nice iron dagger that he strapped to the belt of his armor. He kept the axe; perhaps he could sell it if he made it out alive.

"Did you find a key?" Lona-Ku nodded, and walked over to the locked gate. He tested the key, and was pleased to get it open. He looked to Ralof. "Come on, Nord-friend. This path must lead outside." The pair went through the open gate and into the hallway. They walked down another set of stairs, and into a hallway. The Argonian heard the roar of that dragon again, and part of the wall caved in, blocking their progress.

"That dragon doesn't give up easy, does it?" Ralof looked at the pile of rubble, while Lona-Ku looked around. "We can go through this door," he said. Then he opened the door, quietly as he could. He heard the voices of more soldiers. Ralof gave a silent nod, and readied his axe, while the Argonian drew his dagger. Again, there were just two of them. Unfortunately, they saw the pair before they could put their weapons to use. "Stormcloaks!" The Imperials drew their swords and rushed at the pair.

Ralof, with his strength, was easily able to overpower his opponent, driving his war axe into the man's shoulder. While the man screamed from his wound, the Nord punched his face over and over, until he was dead.

Lona-Ku wasn't as lucky, with only a dagger against the Imperial's sword. The soldier slashed against his leg, and would've caused a very noticeable wound if it wasn't for his armor. Instead, the cut was more of a graze across his knee than a truly debilitating injury. It also had the bonus of distracting the Imperial while Lona-Ku thrust his dagger into his throat. Blood gushed from the wound onto the Argonian's face and neck as his foe fell to the ground.

Ralof looked at the other fighter and noticed the wound. "Are you hurt?"

Lona-Ku shook his head. "Nothing a potion won't take care of."

"Well, you're in luck. I think we're in a storeroom, we might be able to find a few. And we'll need them later, no doubt." The Stormcloak began to look through the room they were in, which consisted of a few tables, a couple of shelves, and some barrels. Lona-Ku took to searching the barrels, and he had a good find. Three potions of health, one of magicka, and two of stamina. He could sell the magicka potion later, he had no use for it. He also found a worn rucksack on one of the tables, which he carefully placed those potions in (though not before drinking one of the health potions for his wound.)

Rolaf came to Lona-Ku with a few more potions in his hands. "Why don't you put these in that pack you found?" He nodded, and took the potions to put them away. He decided that he wouldn't use them unless he really needed to. "Alright. Let's get going," the Argonian said as he shouldered the rucksack and made his way through the door, still taking care to remain silent. His efforts eventually became fruitless, however, as he could already hear signs of battle downstairs. He looked towards Ralof. "It's a torture room," he muttered, having already begun to walk down more quickly. Lona-Ku followed.

The two of them joined the battle as soon as they saw it. Two Stormcloaks were doing their best to fight off a couple of soldiers. They didn't seem to be going so well, as one of them was heavily wounded and barely holding up his axe. The Imperial took advantage of that, and drove his sword into the man's stomach. Lona-Ku, not taking kindly to his newfound comrades being killed, ran up to stab the man several times wherever he wasn't protected by armor.

The other unnamed Stormcloak was having an easier time, blocking her opponent's blade with her mace. Ralof took advantage of the flanking to pull the other Imperial's helmet off and replace it with the blade of his axe. He crumpled to the ground very quickly after that.

Lona-Ku immediately took a look at the impaled man, who was barely breathing. In a stroke of thought, he took his pack, and rummaged around for a potion. Unfortunately, by the time he found one that might be potent enough to deal with a wound like that, the unfortunate Stormcloak was already dead. The Argonian hung his head. He stood up though, after a moment. "Let's keep going. Nothing more can be done here."

"I'm coming with," the unnamed Stormcloak said. "We all need to get out of here."

"Yes, it's best to stick together," Ralof replied, and started to walk out of the room. Lona-Ku began to follow, but something glinted in the corner of his eye, from one of the several cages in the room. "Wait," he said, "There's something in one of these cages."

The two Stormcloaks turned around, and it was the female who spoke. "Those cages are all locked, though."

"Maybe there are lockpicks nearby. We should take everything we can carry that might be worth something." Though Lona-Ku was by no means a master thief, he took some pride in his lockpicking skill. He took this opportunity to give the cage a proper look. He saw a corpse in mage robes, so ame gold, a potion, and some sort of book. If he opened it, he'd probably take everything but the book, depending on its rarity.

"Alright. We'll wait a few minutes while you try to get in there," the woman said in response, while Ralof leaned against a wall. The Argonian got to work finding some lockpicks. It took a few moments, but he found some on a table, probably in case the keys to the cages were lost. He also found something a little interesting: a book. Normally, books didn't tend to hold his interest for too long, but this one held it. Specifically, the title - "Book of the Dragonborn." Lona-Ku couldn't quite put his finger on it, but that word, Dragonborn, resonated with him. He felt like he'd heard it before, somehow.

He shook his head and grabbed the lockpicks, and stuffed the book into his backpack. He walked over to the middle cage, feeling confident in himself. He was in his element when crouching in front of a lock and putting his skills to work. He'd have to buy a more comprehensive set of tools if he ever got out of here. He heard some idle conversation between the two Stormcloaks, but he didn't listen. He had to focus on the lock and the many different and miniscule sounds it made as he tried to open it.

It took a few minutes and a broken pick, but Lona-Ku eventually succeeded, and the cage door creaked open. Satisfied with his efforts, he walked into the cage, and immediately pocketed the few coins on the ground. The stamina potion went into his pack. He ended up removing the robes and hood from the dead man, as macabre as that seemed to him. He didn't plan on wearing chainmail and rags forever, and he was too poor to buy anything now.

The book ended up being quite interesting to the Argonian. Mainly because it wasn't quite a book. Instead of a proper title, he saw a flame emblem on the cover, with a single word - Sparks - beneath it. He knew what it was, it was a spell tome. He'd seen some before, but had never been all that interested. He thought that magic was something beyond him, this grand mysterious force that only a few could use. But, now that he was fleeing for his life from Imperials and a dragon, he decided that a magic spell might be the edge he needed to survive this. As he walked out of the cage, he was thumbing through the thin tome.

"Alright, let's get going," Ralof said. "We shouldn't delay any longer." The three continued downwards, with Lona-Ku bringing up the rear, and still reading the tome.

The concepts of the spell made sense. To feel the magicka in the air around you, and shape it into lightning. He wasn't entirely sure how he would do that, though. Did it just come naturally, or did mages need to study just to learn how to use magicka? He decided that he'd try to use the spell at least once, when he finished reading, and that'd be it. It it didn't work, he wouldn't touch magic again. In the end, it was that simple.

As the group continued, there surroundings steadily looked less like an Imperial keep and more like a dark cavern. Torches became more sparse, and the walls began to have more moss on them. Before long, they discovered a complete change, as the brick walls ended entirely, giving way to rough stone.

"Keep close, friends," Ralof said. "It'll likely be easy to get lost in these caverns." Lona-Ku closed the spellbook and hurried to catch up with his companions. The three progressed through the cave, until they came to a more open spot, with a deep pit and a few wooden bridges. Still more Imperials were that way, and saw the Stormcloaks first. One of the soldiers barked orders, and the others attacked the group.

Ralof rushed forward with his axe, per usual. The woman also charged forward, bringing her mace to bear. Lona-Ku didn't rush, instead doing his best to perform a simple flank. His dagger was in one hand, while he was trying his best to channel magicka through his left. He felt _something, _for sure. There was definitely energy and power, and he was definitely manipulating it. Maybe reading that tome wasn't a bad idea after all. He didn't know exactly what it was, but it was better than nothing.

The group of Imperials proved to not be slouches in combat. Their swords met every blow the Stormcloaks had to offer. And another soldier was readying a bow. Lona-Ku decided to focus on the archer first, readying his dagger and beginning a steady stalk to his prey. Stalking, however, proved to be too slow. The archer successfully nocked and loosed an arrow, which ended up burying itself in the unnamed Stormcloak's throat. She stumbled and fell off into the abyss, and the Imperials redoubled their attacks on Ralof, who struggled to keep up. The archer readied another arrow.

Lona-Ku, however, would have none of that. Instead of the usual stab, however, that pang of anger that came with another death focused something for him. All of a sudden, he was not just imagining magicka around his free hand, it was there. His hand was alight with lightning. His idea was working, unlikely as it had seemed to him. Now all he had to do was direct it. To his surprise, that ended up not being complicated. All he had to do was push.

And push he did. Right towards that archer. As the magic energy jumped from one point from the next, Lona-Ku couldn't help but feel a certain gratification from it. The Imperial screamed as he was electrocuted, drawing the attention of the other soldiers. As those two were momentarily distracted, Ralof took the opportunity to kill one with a blow from his axe, snapping the other Imperial out of it. The poor archer, meanwhile, started to convulse shortly before Lona-Ku finally stopped pushing the magicka. He flopped to the ground, practically fried, and the Argonian immediately rushed back to help Ralof. Between the two of them, the last opponent was pretty easily dispatched.

Ralof looked towards Lona-Ku, somewhat incredulously. "You never told me you knew magic."

"I didn't," he replied. "That was my first ever spell."

The Nord shook his head in dismissal. "No need to defend yourself, Lona-Ku. That certainly helped out." After another moment, the pair continued on their way, until they came across a lever, which obviously controlled the wooden drawbridge in front of them. Ralof pushed the lever, and the drawbridge fell. They walked across it, starting to feel more confident, when they heard that dragon yet again, and the sounds of rocks falling behind them.

"I guess we're not going back that way soon," Lona-Ku said, not even looking back. Ralof shook his head, and they pressed on.

Eventually, Lona-Ku heard a noise. The most wonderful noise one could hear when trying to get out of a cavern. He turned to Ralof. "You hear that? Running water!"

The Nord immediately took off, apparently having heard it himself. And it wasn't long before they came across confirmation of that noise, with a small stream flowing downwards. With renewed spirits, the two practically sprinted down the path the stream followed, but they were very quickly dismayed when it led to another cave-in.

"Well, that could've gone much better," Ralof said, then look back at another path which branched off in another direction. "I guess we should go that way." The two walked up the natural ramp, and found themselves in another large part of the cavern, covered in spiderwebs. They both silently agreed to simply pass through this room as fast as possible. That, somehow, proved impossible, as several spiders descended from the cave ceiling. However, the combination of Ralof's axe and Lona-Ku's newfound magic made short work of them. As they kept going, the Argonian swore he could hear his companion muttering about how he hated spiders.

They kept going, and they quickly found that stream again, following it. However, it wasn't long before they had to stop again. "Wait a moment," Ralof whispered. "There's a bear just ahead. See her?" Lona-Ku looked, and did not like what he saw. "That creature is massive..."

"Yeah. I'd rather we didn't tangle with her. I bet if we take it slow, we can sneak by." The Argonian took that cue, and crouched down to watch his step. This, like lockpicking, was something he was pretty good at. Despite the heavy armor he was wearing, he didn't make much noise as the two of them slunk past the bear, which didn't even wake up.

As soon as the knew they were far from the bear, they quickened their pace once more, and it wasn't long before a very welcome sight came to their eyes: daylight. "There's the way out, I knew we'd make it!" Ralof nearly screamed.

"Let's not waste anymore time, then," Lona-Ku said as he practically leaped to the cave mouth.

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><p><em><strong> And there you have it! This chapter was rather longer than the previous one, and I think it's a sign of things to come. I'd like each of them to be longer than average.<br>**_

_**Once again, please leave a review, and give me your honest opinion.**_


	3. Part 3: First Meetings

_**Hey, folks. Since my previous chapter appeared, I've gotten a few reviews! Yay!**_

**_Nakrato: Thanks for your kind words. I'm glad this was good enough to be among your favorites._**

**_WOWfan92:_****_ Well, we're just going to have to see about Lona-Ku's role in the civil war, won't we? Keep reading, and thanks for the compliment._**

**_2tr3arcH: Well hey, here you go!_**

**_I'd also like to quickly thank those who added this to their favorites and alerts. Now, without further delay, here's the next chapter!_**

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><p>Lona-Ku stepped out of the cave, followed by Ralof. The cold northern air was a shock to him, but not unpleasant, especially after the musty air of those caverns. He took in the offered view, and it was a very impressive one. He didn't have much time to appreciate it, however, as it wasn't long before he heard the sound of great flapping wings that couldn't possibly belong to any natural bird. Ralof, as if on instinct, ducked behind a large rock, while Lona-Ku simply stood near a tree, almost transfixed by the noise. No... lured by it.<p>

Fortunately, the dragon didn't seem to notice either of them, and the noises it made faded before long. Both of them sighed in relief. "Looks like it's gone for good," Ralof said. Lona-Ku added, "We probably should still move quickly, though. The Legion will probably send more troops here, and I don't want to be here when they do."

"Nor do I; we'd best get moving fast. The nearest town from here is Riverwood. My sister Gerdur owns the mill there, I'm sure she'll help us out."

"How do we get there?"

"It's just up the road." Ralof pointed down the road for emphasis, and then started walking at a brisk pace. "I should thank you, Lona-Ku. I probably wouldn't have made it out of there if you hadn't helped me."

"I wouldn't have made it either, Nord-friend. So I thank you for your help as well." Lona-Ku followed the Nord, as they headed down the path as quick as they could. It wasn't long, though, before Ralof spoke again.

"You know, you should head to Windhelm. Join the fight against the Legion."

Lona-Ku tilted his head. "You really think that, Ralof?"

"Damn right I do. You don't need to be a Nord to fight for Skyrim's freedom."

In response, Lona-Ku just thought for a few moments. "I'll consider it. I didn't think I'd be staying in Skyrim long."

"Ah, but I doubt you thought you'd be captured by Imperials, eh?" Lona-Ku shrugged a little. What with the way the Empire was going these days, he was surprised he wasn't carted off by the Thalmor long ago. "You don't have to decide now," Ralof added. "I know it's a pretty big choice." The Argonian just nodded in response, and continued walking down the path. It wasn't terribly long before his Nord friend spoke again.

"You see those ruins up there, in the mountains?"

It took a bit of searching, but Lona-Ku spotted an old structure in the distance. "Yes, I think so."

"That's Bleak Falls Barrow." Ralof gave a short scoff after saying the name. "I could never understand why my sister lived in the shadow of that place. I guess she got used to it eventually."

"I don't know, it doesn't seem that bad to me." Lona-Ku had always liked the sight of ruins and such. Going near them was a different story, of course, what with all the horror stories he'd been told about them.

"Really? Well, to each their own, I suppose. I won't judge." Ralof gave a pronounced shrug as the two continued on their path. The Argonian couldn't help but notice that although the top of the hill they were on was cold and covered in snow, as they progressed further on, the air became warmer, and the snow was steadily replaced by more grass. He had heard from some of the few Dunmer who were still in Morrowind that Skyrim was little more than a frozen wasteland, but this was definitely not frozen. It was actually rather nice.

Before long, Lona-Ku saw something that peaked his own interest. This wasn't on the horizon, however, it was just off the path. Three cylindrical stones, placed in a circle. Small vines were growing on them, so he assumed they hadn't been visited in a while. He pointed them out to Ralof. "What are those?"

"Those are the Guardian Stones. There are ten others just like that all across Skyrim." The Nord looks from the stones to Lona-Ku. "You know, the stones can bestow power to people who use them."

Lona-Ku didn't believe that for a second. Stones giving powers? "I don't think that's actually possible."

"See for yourself, then. Go up to one of those stones." Ralof had an almost smug look on his face as he said this. Lona-Ku sighed. Time to prove this particular myth wrong. He walked over to the circle of stones, and noticed that one the face of each of them was a different constellation. He recognized each of them as he looked. The Warrior, the Mage, and the Thief. Well, he supposed out of the three, he should select the one that he was actually born under. Lona-Ku slowly approached the stone with the Thief sign printed on its face. He stared at the hole near the top, and saw a light emanate from its center, as a warmth grew in his chest. The stars of the constellation lit up, then just as soon as everything lit, they dimmed until it just appeared to be a rock again. A little amazed at how wrong he turned to be, Lona-Ku turned to Ralof for answers.

Instead, the Nord said, "Thief, eh? ...You know, it's never to late to change your fate," as he started walking down the path. The Argonian followed, wondering what in the world that could mean.

As the path started to follow alongside a river that Lona-Ku stared at for a while (recent events made him feel like taking a good, long swim,) Ralof piped up again. This time, he said, "Now, we're not in Stormcloak territory. We should be fine as long as we're ahead of the news from Helgen, but if we run into any Imperials, just let me do the talking."

Lona-Ku stopped looking at the river, instead glancing at what he was currently wearing. "But aren't we both wearing Stormcloak armor?"

"Ah- yeah, we are. Let's just not run into any Imperials, then, eh?" Lona-Ku gave a throaty chuckle at that, and the pair sped up a little. After a while of silent jogging, a large city gate came into view.

"There it is, Riverwood. Come on, Gerdur is probably working the mill like always." Ralof didn't waste any time going on the proper path. Lona-Ku had never been here before, so he just kept following the Nord as they crossed between the gate and a nondescript building. Going around a sawmill, the pair saw that a few people were doing various jobs. Chopping logs, mostly. Ralof went straight to a Nord woman, who had the same color of hair as him. "Gerdur!"

Gerdur quickly turned at the mention of her name, and her eyes widened at the sight of Ralof. She immediately dropped her wood axe and rushed to her brother, giving him a quick hug. "Brother! It's so good to see you again," she nearly yelled. As the two let go of each other, Gerdur started asking questions. "Are you alright? We'd heard that Ulfric had been captured,"

"Gerdur..." Ralof tried to reassure his sister, but it was less than successful.

"You were traveling with him, I was worried about you. What happened, were you captured too?"

"Gerdur." Ralof repeated, more sternly this time, and the woman quieted. He gave a smile. "I'm fine. At least now I am."

Lona-Ku picked this time to step forward, and Gerdur took notice of him. She flinched at first (a reaction that he had grown used to long ago,) but quickly relaxed. "Who's this, Ralof? One of your comrades?"

"Not a comrade yet, but a friend for sure. Why don't you introduce yourself?" he said, turning to the Argonian and gesturing for him to step forward. Lona-Ku complied, and hesitantly offered one of his hands. "I'm Lona-Ku Footpad."

It took a second or two, but Gerdur shook Lona-Ku's hand, which was much better than he had expected. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lona-Ku."

"You as well."

"Gerdur, is there somewhere we can talk?" Ralof went from sociable to serious in almost no time. Gerdur was a little surprised by the sudden change, but quickly nodded. "Yes, let's go over to the yard. You too, Lona-Ku." The three of them walked further into the mill, while Gerdur called out for someone. "Hod, get down here!"

Lona-Ku heard distand chatter from the sawmill, but couldn't actually hear what was said. Gerdur, however, seemed to, judging from the annoyed sigh she let out. "Would you just get down here?"

Someone - Hod, presumably - stepped from his place at the mill to where he could be seen. He gave a start. "Ralof? What are you doing he - I'll be right down!" Hod disappeared again, but his footsteps were loud and clear. The others kept going until they reached a spot closer to the river, with a couple of large tree stumps. When Lona-Ku heard more footsteps on the grass behind him, he expected to see Hod. Instead, seemingly from nowhere, a child came barreling towards the group, specifically, towards Ralof, jumping on the Stormcloak's back without warning. Ralof was obviously shocked, but shook his head in amusement, as if he was used to this.

"Uncle Ralof!" the child yelled, as he let go and fell to the ground. "Hey, can I see your axe? How many Imperials have you killed? Do you really know Ulfric Stormcloak?"

Gerdur apppeared flustered as her son peppered Ralof with questions. "Frodnar, this really isn't the time..."

Frodnar was unfazed, and appeared to gain another wind when he saw Lona-Ku. "You're an Argonian, right? Are you from Black Marsh? Why are you wearing that armor-"

"Frodnar!" The boy shut up when Gerdur took that tone that every mother seems to possess. "We need you to go to the south gate, and watch for any Imperials."

Frodnar looked at the ground, pouting. "But ma, I wanna stay and talk with Uncle Ralof." His mother looked like she was going to speak again, but Ralof silenced her, and kneeled in front of the boy, placing his large hands on his shoulders. "Look at you, Frodnar, almost a grown man! Won't be long before you're joining the fight yourself!"

The boy looked up at his uncle, his eyes alight. "Really, uncle?"

"Yes, really! And right now, it would do us good if you watched the gate," Ralof replied, still in a lighthearted voice.

"You got it, I won't let any of those soldiers sneak up on you!" Frodnar ran off with boundless energy. Ralof chuckled as he stood back up, heading to one of the large tree stumps. Gerdur followed, and Lona-Ku saw Hod reappear, heading towards the group. He decided to sit on the unoccupied tree stump, hoping nobody minded. Hod and Gerdur remained standing. Hod gave a fairly short stare at Lona-Ku, but quickly shifted his focus.

"So, what's going on, Ralof? You both look done in."

Ralof sighed. "I can't remember when I last slept. Where to begin... Well, what you heard was true. Ulfric and I were captured, along with Lona-Ku here. We were heading to Darkwater Crossing, and we were nearly there when a bunch of Imperial soldiers jumped us. They were quick. Like they knew where we'd be. That was two days ago."

"And where were you during this... Lona-Ku, is it?" Hod said, looking at the Agronian.

"I was just trying to get into Skyrim. I think the Imperials assumed I was with the Stormcloaks."

Hod scoffed audibly at that. "Empire will just capture anyone so they can think they're winning, won't they?"

Ralof continued. "The Imperials took us to Helgen, and I thought we were done for. They had us lined up at the headsman's block and ready to start chopping. But then, out of nowhere, a dragon attacked."

Both Hod and Gerdur gave a start at that. "You mean a real, live dragon?" Gerdur asked, in a higher pitch than what seemed normal for her.

Ralof chuckled a little. "I wouldn't say that unless I saw it myself."

Lona-Ku added, "I had a very close view of it from the chopping block."

"It may seem hard to believe, but Lona-Ku and I would probably be dead if it hadn't been for that dragon. We managed to escape in the confusion. Are we the first ones to make it out of Helgen?"

"Nobody else has come out of the southern gate today," replied Hod, who took a glance at that very gate. Ralof sighed and stared at the ground, shaking his head in disbelief. After a minute or two of silence, he looked back up at his sister.

"Listen, Gerdur, I'd hate to be a burden on you and Hod, but we need to stay here for a while, until everything dies down."

"Nonsense, it's not a problem at all. You two are absolutely welcome to stay here." Gerdur had her hands on her hips as she said this, probably to let Ralof know that he didn't have a choice but to accept her hospitality. Hod looked a little surprised at it, or perhaps concerned, but didn't voice his feelings. Lona-Ku, on the other hand, looked relieved, or at least as relieved as an Argonian could to other races. He had been doubting that he had the septims to stay at any sort of inn, and he certainly didn't want to sleep outside.

"Thank you, Gerdur."

"One last thing, though. When the dragon attacked, did Ulfric...?" Though she didn't finish the question, its meaning was clear enough.

"Don't worry sister. I'm sure he made it out alright."

Gerdur gave a small nod, not exactly reassured. "Okay. You should be careful, Ralof."

"Don't worry. I know how to lay low." Ralof stood up and dusted himself off. Gerdur nodded again, and then turned to Lona-Ku, sitting next to him on the tree stump.

"Any friend of my brother is a friend of mine." She reached into a pouch on her dress, and withdrew a key into it, pressing it into his hand. "That's the key to our house, you stay as long as you like."

"You are sure, Gerdur? I do not wish to be a burden..." Though he was actually masking a sort of fear of staying with new people. That, and he wasn't sure how these folks would deal with an Argonian, even if they had been welcoming enough.

"I already said it wasn't a problem. You can stay here, and if there's anything you need, let me know."

"Thank you." After a moment or two, Lona-Ku says, with a toothy smile, "I shall have to find a way to repay your kindness."

Gerdur returned the smile, as Hod and Ralof began to head over to the proper house. Gerdur looked at them, and shook her head. "They're probably off to drink all of the mead."

Lona-Ku chuckled at that, remembering how just a few hours ago, he'd been wistfully wondering what Skyrim mead tasted like. Then he thought of something else. "Actually, there are a couple of things you could do, Gerdur."

"Sure, what are they?"

Lona-Ku got the rucksack he recovered from the Helgen keep, and rummaged through it until he recovered the robes he'd taken off of the dead man in that cage. "I took these from Helgen. Could you clean them, and perhaps cut a hole for my tail? I don't really want to travel in this armor." Now that would be uncomfortable, especially for his scales.

"I can do that. Anything else you needed?"

"Well, I have a few things I wanted to sell, to make some extra coin. Potions, and an axe. Where would I go to sell those?"

"The Riverwood Trader's just up the road. I bet you could take the axe to Alvor, though. He's our blacksmith, and he'll probably find some use for it. He's at the smithy, you can't miss it."

With an acknowledging nod, Lona-Ku passed the robes over to Gerdur, who took them with little hesitation, even after noticing a few bloodstains on them. "I'll have these ready for you within the hour, Lona-Ku. You should go get your shopping taken care of," she said.

"Of course. I shan't be gone long." The Argonian stood from the tree stump dusted off his armor, and immediately set upon the dirt road, with a bit of a spring in his step. This whole attack at Helgen was just a small obstacle in his life. He could get some gold, and be back on his way again. With this in mind, he kept walking until he saw the tell-tale signs of smoke. Lona-Ku had always had a healthy respect for blacksmiths, with their working of metals. There was even a time when he had hoped to become one, but that was a long time ago.

He went up the steps to the smity, seeing a burly Nord in an apron hammering away at an anvil. Lona-Ku cleared his throat, and the smith turned, and surprised him by not twitching at the sight of the scales and horns. "You're new here. Name's Alvor, what can I get for you?"

"I'm Lona-Ku. And I was actually hoping to sell something to you." Lona-Ku pulled the war axe from his pack, and presented it to Alvor, who took it in his hands and inspected the handle and blade.

Eventually, he spoke again. "This is of good make, just needs a bit of sharpening. I'll offer you... twelve septims for it, how does that sound?"

Normally, Lona-Ku would try his best to haggle and get more gold for something, but he was pretty much penniless, and had to take whatever he could get. Twelve coins wasn't that bad anyway. "It sounds like a deal to me," he replied.

"Great, let me fetch the gold for you." As Alvor went to get what he had offered, Lona-Ku took a peek at the forge itself. It seemed that the smith had been working hard, and he had left a hot piece of metal on the anvil. For a moment, he considered putting it back in the forge to keep it hot, but quickly decided that it'd probably be a better idea for him to just leave it there. He knew next to nothing about smithing, anyway, and he'd probably mess everything up.

It wasn't long before Alvor returned, with a small handful of gold coins. "Here you are." Lona-Ku held out his hand, and the septims were dropped onto his palm. He placed the iron axe on a table, and looked back at the smith.

"Thanks for offering that," he said. "What with the war going on, more people seem to want some kind of weapon these days. It's been getting pretty difficult for me to keep up, every little bit helps."

Some small part of Lona-Ku's subconscious seemed to take over at that point, as he blurted out, "Do you need any help around the forge?" He regretted that as soon as he said it, expected to be laughed at. He'd always been rather skinny, and he doubted Alvor would see him as a good blacksmith.

What he expected was not what happened. Instead, Alvor looked over the Argonian standing in front of him with a critical eye. "Yes, actually, if you think you're up for it. Why don't you smith an iron dagger for me? There's some ingots and leather strips over there." He indicated a spot on the floor near a steel bench, where there indeed was a selection of iron and leather. Here was where Lona-Ku began to regret what he had said. He didn't know the first thing about smithing; how was he supposed to make a horseshoe, let alone a dagger? All the knowledge he had to go off of was one day in the Imperial City, watching a smith create a blade. _Well,_ he thought, _nothing ventured, nothing gained..._

Using a pair of tongs to grab an ingot, Lona-Ku held it in the forge until it was white-hot and thus workable. He then kept it held onto an anvil while grabbing a hammer and getting to something resembling a dagger. Surprisingly, actually hammering the ingot into the desired shape came fairly quickly to the Argonian. Occasionally, he'd have to reheat the iron, or cool it to keep a shape he wanted, but it wasn't impossible to him in any way. After a half-hour or so, he had what looked to be something resembling a dagger. He backed off from the forge and showed it to Alvor, who looked it over for a few seconds, before looking back at the Argonian with a smile.

"It's not bad, reminds me of when I first started smithing." Lona-Ku's face split into a toothy grin. The first thing he'd ever made at a forge was something that was actually usable. That was much better than he'd expected.

"It's a little dull, though. You can use that grindstone, over there, to sharpen it." The Argonian's smile faded at that point, but he took the dagger back and headed over to the grindstone. He had to remind himself that this was his first time actually working a forge, after all, and he couldn't expect to be perfect. Still, he was determined to get one good thing done in his life, as he pressed the footpedals and pressed the blade to the stone. An occasional spark flew as he reflected on that one day he had spent in the Imperial City, watching the smith work his metal. He remembered thinking that there was a sort of rhythm to the whole process of creating a blade. He had also thought that the process of creating a blade couldn't have been all that difficult. He ended being rather correct on that, but he knew that he had only been smithing a simple dagger. If he ever wanted to craft something more complicated, he knew it would get much more difficult.

But, these were all thoughts for another time. Lona-Ku looked back down at the dagger in his hand, and realized if he kept it at the grindstone for much longer, it'd be thin enough to break with one's bare hands. He returned it to Alvor again, looking hopeful once more.

"This... is good," Alvor said as he examined the dagger. "If you keep putting time into your blades like this, they will treat you well when you need them."

Lona-Ku gave a curt, respectful nod. "Thank you, friend."

"Do you want to keep helping? I have some furs that could use tanning."

"Actually, I probably shouldn't. I don't know how long I can stay in Riverwood." Technically, he was a fugitive of the Empire now, and the Argonian seriously doubted he could spend the months it took to fully tan a hide.

"Ah, I understand. Still, you have talent in this craft, you should take the time later to learn more of it. In the meantime, I think I have a few extra septims for your work." Alvor offered a few coins to Lona-Ku, who graciously accepted them.

"If you'll excuse me, Alvor, I should go buy some supplies for if I ever need to head out."

"I won't keep you any further, then. Remember me if you ever need a weapon."

Lona-Ku bowed and took his leave, heading back out into the street. Though he thought he would be doing a lot of searching for the Riverwood Trader, he was fortunate enough to see the appropriate sign hanging outside a door just across the road. So, he walked straight into the small shop.

He ended up being treated to a bit of a show. The two owners were arguing (though it was a little hard to tell just what about, as he didn't hear the whole thing.)

"Look, I'm not going to have my sister run after thieves!"

"So what would you have us do instead, Lucan? Wait for them to show up again and take something else?"

Lucan was about to respond to the woman, but saw Lona-Ku and cleared his throat. "Camilla, we have a customer," he said in a low voice. Camilla turned around and saw Lona-Ku, and started.

"Oh, of course, sorry. Welcome to the Riverwood Trader," she said.

"Don't worry about anything you just heard, we're still up for business."

Though Lona-Ku had originally come to this store to offer up a few of his items for trade, now he was interested in this problem that these two were having. He couldn't really guess at the reason. But still, he looked Lucan in the eye and said, "Wait, what happened to your store?"

Camilla sighed, and Lucan waited for a few seconds before answering. "Well, some thieves broke into the place last night. They didn't take much... just a small claw, made of solid gold." Lucan's speech slowed as he approached the words of the claw. "Camilla here thinks we should be doing something about it, but I can't head out there and leave the Trader unattended."

Camilla snorted and said, "And I keep telling you, I'll keep the shop up! Are you really going to just let those bandits walk in here and take whatever they want?"

Lona-Ku's next words were blurted out much more quickly than he thought about saying them. "I could go get that claw for you." But what he found to be really strange was that he didn't regret those words. He wanted to help these people.

"Oh - you could? You're sure? Well, I just got a shipment of gold. If you get the claw for me, I can have some of it fall off the cart for you."

"Thank you very much, Lucan." But again, for some strange reason, the possibility of being rewarded wasn't really the best thing about this, in Lona-Ku's eyes.

Camilla stood up. "Now hold on a second."

Lucan's patience, it seemed, was at an end. "I'm not going to have my sister go and chase a group of thieves!"

"Maybe not, but I say that your new friend here needs a guide." Well, there was the bad part. Lona-Ku had wanted to end the fight, not extend it.

Lucan seemed to rescind, though. "Fine. But only over to the bridge!"

"Actually," Lona-K said, "I need to run a few errands before I go."

"That's fine," Camilla said. "Just me me back here when you're ready to go."

"Alright." Lona-Ku started by placing his back pack onto the store counter. "First, I have a few potions I'd like to sell..."

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><p><em><strong>And there we have it. It looks like Lona-Ku's going to be heading to Bleak Falls Barrow pretty soon (next chapter, actually). I'm sorry that this chapter dragged on a bit, I promise to have more action soon.<strong>_

_**I'd like to apologize for the wait; college finals got in the way of writing for a while, then my laptop went 'brb, dead,' and that killed any creative juices I had.  
><strong>_

**_As always, please leave honest reviews and feedback. Questions, too, if you have them. I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible, but consider me on Valve Time for now._**


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